


All The Breakable Things Which Cannot Be Grasped

by Carminainanima



Category: Chess - Rice/Ulvaeus/Andersson
Genre: Also if Freddie seems ooc it's because it's several years later and he's been to therapy, Basically Freddie and Florence have a conversation in a hospital room, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-18 21:01:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28749660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carminainanima/pseuds/Carminainanima
Summary: Even a year ago the idea of Freddie Trumper keeping a bedside vigil would have been ridiculous. Yet there he was, Florence observed from the hospital room door, fast asleep in an uncomfortable chair slumped over the hospital bed, face smushed against Anatoly Sergievsky's thigh.
Relationships: Anatoly Sergievsky/Frederick Trumper, Svetlana Sergievsky/Florence Vassy (mentioned)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 12





	All The Breakable Things Which Cannot Be Grasped

Even a year ago the idea of Freddie Trumper keeping a bedside vigil would have been ridiculous. Yet there he was, Florence observed from the hospital room door, fast asleep in an uncomfortable chair slumped over the hospital bed, face smushed against Anatoly Sergievsky's thigh.

Would he have visited if she had ended up in the hospital? Absolutely. But he would not have stayed for over three days straight and thrown a fit when someone suggested he should go home. Many things had changed in the years since Bangkok. And she knew that the force that had caused Freddie to drop everything, fly halfway around the world, and somehow smuggle a very sick man out of the USSR because of a cryptic phone call was the same one that caused her to settle down in a small French cottage with Svetlana and help raise her children. She hoped Freddie had the insight to realize it as well.

Having finally registered her presence in the room Freddie made some sort of grumbling noise and pushed himself up with the hand not tightly holding Anatoly’s.

“You look like shit.” Florence stated the obvious.

“I haven’t seen you in nearly a year and this is how you greet me? I need better friends!” Freddie gasped in mock outrage.

She walked over to them and poked him in the shoulder. “You saw me yesterday, and anyway I drove all the way to England because of your ominous phone call about being in the hospital, but not for you.”

“I called back and explained what was going on.”

“Sure, an hour later. Coffee?” She held a cup out to him.

“Never mind, you’re my best friend again.” Freddie happily grabbed the cup and took a big swallow. He made a face. “Too hot.”

“Patience never was your strong suit.” Florence looked around for somewhere to sit, but quickly realized that there was only one chair and Freddie was in it.

“Except for chess.” Freddie said grandly as he got up and sat on the edge of the hospital bed.

Florence snorted, “Except for chess.” She agreed as she sat down in the chair. Freddie placed Anatoly’s hand in his lap and absentmindedly traced lines across it while blowing on his coffee. Florence simply watched them for a moment.“So what happens now?” She asked.

They both looked at the man on the bed who was connected to the many machines by wires and tubes.

“The doctor said he should regain the use of his leg, but will probably always have a limp.” Freddie said brushing a few curls off of Anatoly’s face before quickly grabbing his hand again. “Now we wait for the fever to break and him to wake up.” Florence nodded.

They sat together amongst the beeping and humming machines continuing to drink their coffee for some time before Freddie spoke up.

“How are Svetlana and the kids?”

“Good!” Florence instantly perked up. The two women had met and instead of fighting or hating each other had bonded due to their unfortunate circumstances. They had stayed friends and when Svetlana and Anatoly had finally divorced Florence had launched a campaign to get Svetlana and the children out of Russia. It had taken her nearly two years, but in the end it was successful.

“Kamilla made both the math club and the soccer team at school and Dimitriy is excelling in science. He wants to be an astronaut. Oh! And we just got a puppy, her name is Dunyasha.”

Freddie smiled as he listened to her tell him about her life. Florence always softened when she talked about her new little family. She could go on for hours about them, as he – and his long distance phone bills – knew well.

“Do you think they’ll visit?” He knew very well the wish not to see a neglectful parent, although they had had at least one parent, and now Florence, who cared.

“Lana says they will probably come visit when he wakes up. No point before.” Florence shook her head. What was the point in coming for what was currently just a body that breathed and sweated and mumbled what Freddie was pretty sure were chess moves in Russian.

They lapsed back into silence, Freddie nervously worrying his paper coffee cup.

“I don’t know what happens after.” He whispered eventually.

“After?” Florence looked over at him.

“He’s got diplomatic – or is it political? – immunity here, so he’ll probably stay. But I was hoping we could go to the States. I’d like to be able to see him more often.” He paused. “Actually at all. This is the first time I’ve seen him since Bangkok.”

“Phone chess not cutting it anymore?” Florence smirked.

Freddie squinted at her. He knew she meant something a little more than moving pieces on a board, but his brain was currently doing a triple run of exhaustion, adrenaline, and caffeine. So he wasn’t going to dignify her implications with an acknowledgement. “. . . Yeah. But even if he doesn’t want to move I’ll stay here while he’s healing.” There were too many what ifs about the future but none of them could be answered until after Anatoly woke up.

“You must care a lot about him, don’t you Freddie?” Florence stated what was glaringly obvious to anything that ended up in the vicinity of those two for even a minute.

“Of course!” Freddie exploded, and then much quieter, “I don’t know what I’d do if he wasn’t around.”

Florence sighed and got up out of the chair to give him a hug. “Oh Freddie. You worry so much. You’re both here now and that’s what’s important.” Freddie clung to her, shaking, trying not to cry. After a minute he pulled away and surreptitiously wiped his eyes.

“The important thing is that I got there in time and when he wakes up he should be fine.” Freddie stated firmly, more to himself then to Florence.

"Exactly.” Florence checked her watch. “OK, I am going to leave for a few hours but when I come back you are going to go and take a shower and put on a clean pair of clothes.” She had been almost more like a mother than an assistant or friend before and although they were working hard to maintain boundaries in their relationship things sometimes slipped through.

“But I’ll have to leave him!” Freddie fretted, pulling Anatoly’s hand up to his chest.

“I’ll stay with Anatoly and you’ll be gone around an hour, less than that. You’re no good to him if you don’t take care of yourself too.” She gave him a slightly reproachful look.

Freddie did not look pleased, but he did nod.

“Good, I’ll see you soon.” Florence patted him on the shoulder and then walked out the door. Freddie watched her go. As soon as he couldn’t hear her shoes on the linoleum floor he started to cry.

“Anatoly, Anatoly I’m so scared.” Freddie sobbed clinging to Anatoly’s hand. “I don’t know what to do. I was a shit before and I don’t want to lose you now. I. . . I care about you.” It was unfortunately much easier to confess to something when the other party would probably not remember it. Careful not to squish any of the wires and tubes attached to Anatoly Freddie lay down and leaned his head against him. Anatoly was still much too warm to the touch and it was significantly more obvious, Freddie found, with his cheek pressed against Anatoly’s shoulder than when he was just holding his hand. He hoped the fever would break soon, for all their sakes. Glancing around to make sure no one was watching he leaning over and pressing a kiss to Anatoly’s temple.

Freddie had learned early on that kisses did not fix boo-boos, but, he figured that just this once he could hope.

**Author's Note:**

> I have been listening to nothing but this musical for two weeks. Send help. (Or don't because this is good too.)


End file.
